California officials on Thursday formally objected to an oil company’s proposal to complete the first fracking off the state’s coast in more than a decade.
What happened: The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted to object to DCOR LLC’s proposal to conduct hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, on 16 of its wells off the coast of Ventura County. The commissioners cited concerns that the fracking project could put marine life and commercial fishing operations at risk.
“Continuing and intensifying production on this aging infrastructure clearly threatens the California coast with the risk of more oil spills, and also, significantly, the risk of spills of toxic fracking fluids,” said Caryl Hart, the agency’s vice chair, ahead of the vote.
Why it matters: The decision sets up a potential clash between California and President Donald Trump’s administration, which has already demonstrated its willingness to override state policy to meet its goal of increasing oil production in American territory. Federal officials are already reviewing California’s coastal powers, a move that state leaders fear could hamper the state’s ability to oversee drilling off its coast.
